OH that my letters in my absence might be useful to you! It is my joy to serve you, and my love to you is without dissimulation: Witness my twice lost liberties, and my impaired health, all which I might have preserved, had it not been for my readiness to minister to you.
But what do I speak of my love? It is the infinite love of God your Father that I would have to dwell upon you. Forget me, so you remember him. Let me be very little, so he be very lovely in your eyes. Bury me, so you set the Lord always before you. Let my name be written in the dust, so his name be written deep upon all your souls.
*O Lord, I am thy servant, truly I am thy servant, glorify thine own name by me, and thou shalt have my hand to it, that I will be content to be hid in obscurity, and to disappear through the brightness of thy glory.
I preach not myself, but the Lord Jesus. Give him your hearts, and I have my errand. I am but the friend of the bridegroom, and my business is, but to give you to understand his love, and to gain your hearts unto him. He is an object worthy of my commendations, and of your affections. His love is worth the writing of, and worth the thinking of, and worth the speaking of. Oh my brethren, never forget, I beseech you, how he loveth you. He is in heaven, and you are on earth; yet he loveth you. His heart is infinitely tender of you. Even now while he is at the right-hand of the Majesty on high, how feelingly doth he cry out at the hurt of his poor members on earth, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me! Oh of what quick sense is our dear Lord unto us! When we are touched on earth, he feels it in heaven.
Brethren, possess your hearts with this, that Christ’s love doth go out with infinite dearness towards you. Even now, whilst he is in all his glory, he earnestly remembers you still. This is the high-priest, that now entered into the holy of holies, doth bear your names, remembring every poor believer. He bears your names, but where? Upon his breast-plate, upon his heart, Exodus xxviii. 29. Sure your lot is fallen in an happy place! What, in the bosom of Christ? Yea, verily I may apply that of Gabriel, O Daniel, thou art greatly beloved! unto you. You are beloved indeed, to have your names written upon the very heart of Christ now he is in glory.
Oh, let his name be written on your hearts. Do not write his name in the sand, when he has written yours upon his own breast! Do not forget him who hath taken such care, that while he is, he may never forget you, having recorded your names, not only on his book, but on his flesh, and set you as a seal upon his heart. He hath you upon his heart, but why? For a memorial before the Lord continually. Beloved, your Lord is so far from forgetting you in all his greatness and glory, that he is gone into heaven on purpose, there to present you before the Lord, that you may be always in remembrance before him. O beloved, glory, yea, and triumph in his love: doubtless it must go well with us. Who shall condemn? It is Christ that died and rose again, and is now making intercession. His interest is potent. He is always present. Our advocate is never out of court. Never did cause miscarry in his hand. Trust you safely in him.
Oh, the riches of Christ’s love! He did not think it enough to die for you. His love doth not end with his natural life on earth, but he ever liveth to make intercession for us. His love is like his life, ever, ever: knowing no remission in degree, nor intermission of time, no cessation of working, but is ever, ever in motion towards us.
If the pens of all the world were employed to write volumes of love, if the tongues of all the living were exercised in nothing else but talking of his love; if all hearts were made up of love; and all the powers and affections of the mind turned into love, yet this were no less than infinitely too little, either to conceive or express the greatness of Christ’s love.
O my beloved, may your souls be swallowed up in this love. Think and think while you will, you can never think how much you are beloved. See that you love again by way of gratitude, though not of requital: What though your souls be but narrow, and your powers but little? Yet love him with all you have. Love him with all your hearts and all your strength. To the meditations, and to the embraces of divine love I leave you, remaining,
Your’s in the bonds of the most dear Lord Jesus,